Virginia Class
Representing a revolution in advanced design and construction techniques and mission flexibility, Virginia-class submarines are providing the U.S. Navy with the capabilities it requires to maintain undersea superiority well into the 21st century.
The Virginia class is the first U.S. Navy warship designed from the keel up for the full range of mission requirements in the post-Cold War era. Optimized for maximum technological and operational flexibility, these submarines will play a key role in the nation's defense with their stealth, firepower and unlimited endurance.
Under the terms of a $4.2 billion contract awarded by the Navy in 1998, a $8.4 billion multiyear contract awarded in January 2004, a $14 billion multiyear contract awarded in December 2008, and a $17.6 billion multi-year contract awarded in April 2014, Electric Boat is sharing construction of the first 28 ships of the class with its teammate, Huntington Ingalls-Newport News Shipbuilding. Electric Boat delivered the lead ship of the class, Virginia (SSN774), on Oct. 12, 2004. It was commissioned into the fleet 11 days later, on Oct. 23, 2004, ushering in a new era of warfare from under the sea.
The USS Illinois was christened in October 2015 by First Lady Michelle Obama, only the fourth Electric Boat submarine christened by a First Lady.
Ship statistics
- Displacement:
- 7,700 tons (submerged)
- Length:
- 377 feet
- Hull Diameter:
- 34 feet
- Speed:
- 25+ knots
- Diving Depth:
- 800+ feet
- Weapons:
- Mark 48 advanced capability torpedoes, Tomahawk land attack missiles, Mark 60 CAPTOR mines, advanced mobile mines and unmanned underwater vehicles